so lemme get this right... (comparison of Mbps vs. MBps)

[zskillz]

1 Mbps (1 megabit/sec) is 1 million bits/second... so, a 100 Mbps switch can theoretically handle a data transfer rate of 100 million bits/sec.

1 MBps (1 megabyte/sec) is 2^20th bytes/sec which = 8*2^20th bits/sec) which is 8388608 bits/sec

so if i'm doing my math right here (on all the steps), then a 100 Mbps (megabit/sec) switch can only transfer data at a rate of ~11.9 MBps (megabytes/sec)

don't get me wrong, that's fast, I just thought that it was faster...


so, am I right, or did I screw up the math somewhere?

-Z

[DVNT1]

Quote:

When used to describe Data Transfer Rate, bits/bytes are calculated as in the metric system

In data communications, a kilobit is a thousand bits, or 1,000 bits. It's commonly used for measuring the amount of data that is transferred in a second between two telecommunication points. Kilobits per second is usually shortened to kbps or Kbps**. Some sources define a kilobit to mean 1,024 bits. Although the bit is a unit of the binary number system, bits in data communications are discrete signal pulses and have historically been counted using the decimal number system. For example, 28.8 kilobits per second (kbps) is 28,800 bits per second.

1 bit (b) = 0 or 1 = one binary digit
1 kilobit ( kb) = 10^3 bits = 1,000 bits
1 Megabit (Mb) = 10^6 bits = 1,000,000 bits
1 Gigabit (Gb) = 10^9 bits = 1,000,000,000 bits

** Note: Although technically speaking, the term kilobit should have a lowercase initial letter, most published reports capitalize it in abbreviation, resulting in "56 Kbps," or even the really confusing "56K." That leaves you with the sometimes omitted lowercase "b" to distinguish between bits (b) and bytes (B). When used as a measurement of network data transfers, or throughput, always assume the word is bits first.

from http://www.speedguide.net/Cable_modems/bandwidth.shtml

[J-Excel]

I think you just divide by 8.

[osprey4]

Tricky, those b's and B's. You really gotta read the fine print when you see advertised speeds for broadband.

As far as the actual speed of a data transfer, there are generally other bottlenecks that slow down the process. Maybe the router has a 100 mbps port, but your mileage is going to vary.

[rkillaz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zskillz

1 Mbps (1 megabit/sec) is 1 million bits/second... so, a 100 Mbps switch can theoretically handle a data transfer rate of 100 million bits/sec.

1 MBps (1 megabyte/sec) is 2^20th bytes/sec which = 8*2^20th bits/sec) which is 8388608 bits/sec

so if i'm doing my math right here (on all the steps), then a 100 Mbps (megabit/sec) switch can only transfer data at a rate of ~11.9 MBps (megabytes/sec)

don't get me wrong, that's fast, I just thought that it was faster...


so, am I right, or did I screw up the math somewhere?

-Z

Awesome! I was about to did that maths, b'for that got an idea to search on the net! And Yes....I found the exact answer.

[washe]

Awesome!! A 6 yeard old thread resurrected!!

Welcome to Techimo!!

[Digger53]

This business of bits and bytes have been very well explained here, BUT, if you are thinking of signing up to a broadband provider get them to clarify their speeds in terms you can understand.

My ISP states speeds in bits then says you can download a 850 MEGABYTE Movie in 6 minutes.
I have tested my speeds with them and the speed test says that at the speed I am getting I can dowload 100 MEGABYTES in 10 Minutes. Makes the ISP claims to be garbage, hence, I have a complaint in with our Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman.

Meanwhile the Customer Support Officer with the ISP, (who is not a Technical Person), is thoroughly confused by her Tech People and my explanations of my complaint.

Watch the jargon People and ask any questions you feel necessary before signing up to any contract.

All the Best,
The Digger

[pullmyfoot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Digger53

This business of bits and bytes have been very well explained here, BUT, if you are thinking of signing up to a broadband provider get them to clarify their speeds in terms you can understand.

My ISP states speeds in bits then says you can download a 850 MEGABYTE Movie in 6 minutes.
I have tested my speeds with them and the speed test says that at the speed I am getting I can dowload 100 MEGABYTES in 10 Minutes. Makes the ISP claims to be garbage, hence, I have a complaint in with our Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman.

Meanwhile the Customer Support Officer with the ISP, (who is not a Technical Person), is thoroughly confused by her Tech People and my explanations of my complaint.

Watch the jargon People and ask any questions you feel necessary before signing up to any contract.

All the Best,
The Digger

Well, often it is other things that contribute to the speed. Most of the time the server you are downloading from can only max out at a speed less than your internet connection. What they are saying is that if everything else is not limiting your download speed, the service provider has that bandwidth